Have it inspected before trying to sell your home!
Building 
Cleaning Services (BCS) frequently hears from people who are trying to sell their home who tell us the buyer’s home inspector found mold in the crawl space and they need it removed.
Some homeowners are not even aware there is a crawl space under the home which can be a source of mold problems. The crawl space is typically an unoccupied, unfinished, narrow space between the ground and the first floor, so named because there is only enough room to crawl rather than stand in that space.
Crawl spaces were initially built to provide a buffer between the house and its inhabitants and the damp, wet earth below. A home that has a crawl space and does not have a vapor barrier tends to wick up moisture onto the subfloor and it can enter the wood framing under the home creating a potential mold situation.
Many homeowners may never look in the crawl space under their home, but home inspectors are obligated to look there, as they know the potential for mold in that area. If there has been a leak, for example in the restroom months or years earlier, there is likely a mold problem in the crawl space that has been allowed to grow undisturbed. Crawl spaces are one of the most common areas of mold growth in the home because they have the perfect conditions for mold growth (wooden floors or framing, darkness and dampness).
A crawl space can also be susceptible to flooding, especially for homes on even a small slope. This risk is sometimes mitigated by using rain gutters to conduct rainwater away from the house and sloping the earth away from the house. Obviously, the drier you can keep the crawl space under your home, the better you can protect it from any future mold situation.
ENCAPSULATION CAN PREVENT CRAWL SPACE MOLD
Because vapor barriers keep moisture out, they reduce the chances of mold growth in your home. Encapsulating your crawlspace will also improve the value of your home since it reduces moisture issues such as wood rot and mold.
Encapsulation involves sealing off all openings to the outdoors, adding thermal insulation to the walls, and sealing off any remaining gaps and cracks (such as plumbing and wiring penetrations) between the crawl space and the floor of the home. This essentially creates a vapor barrier.
Sometimes encapsulation is used to prevent the passage of air from the crawl space to the living environment, to save energy and improve indoor air quality. This is because air in the crawl space tends to rise due to the stack effect in winter, when warmer air rises in the upper floors and cooler air comes in from below.
If the crawl space under your home is not encapsulated, it is probably a good thing to look into getting this done, as you can see it has several advantages, the primary one being the prevention of mold growth.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU SUSPECT MOLD
If you suspect mold in your crawl space or elsewhere, the first thing to do is get a professional mold inspection done by a reputable company that will give you a detailed report.
There are numerous mold inspection companies in Los Angeles; however, some are not as reputable as others. Do your due diligence by checking their ratings on Yelp or elsewhere. If you’d like some names of companies that BCS has worked with, give us a call at 818-953-7100.
Once you have your mold report in hand and you need mold removed, give BCS a call to schedule an appointment so we can give you an estimate that you’ll be happy with. Mold is toxic and should be removed whenever it is observed or found. If you have mold, the solution is to call BCS at 818-953-7100.
BCS RECEIVES THE “PEOPLE LOVE US ON YELP” AWARD FOR THE 5TH STRAIGHT YEAR!
We take pride in the fact that our Yelp reviews are consistently very high. In fact, Yelp just awarded BCS it’s “People Love Us on Yelp” award for the 5th straight year!
Additionally, ThreeBestRated.com has rated BCS as one of the top three best commercial cleaning companies based in Glendale! According to their website (https://threebestrated.com), “All of our commercial cleaning services face a rigorous 50-point inspection, which includes customer reviews, history, complaints, ratings, satisfaction, trust, cost and general excellence. You deserve only the best!”
BCS applies that same rigorous push for quality to its mold remediation services, which we have been providing for over 23 years. We have an excellent reputation having serviced thousands of clients throughout the greater Los Angeles area.
JUST SOME OF OUR OUTSTANDING MOLD CLIENT REVIEWS
The entire crew from Building Cleaning Services was professional and highly skilled. We were in a very tough situation with the black water intrusion and mold situation in our house but helped to get our home back to normal. I can sleep better at night knowing that a good job was done in our home. I would highly recommend these folks to anyone. We received several quotes, and some were lower than BCS, but no other company demonstrated the same depth of knowledge and that gave us confidence that they knew what they were doing. – Darryl Y.
I cannot recommend this company enough! My sister-in-law used them a few years ago and referred them to us when we discovered some serious mold issues in our bathroom and bedroom. We also discovered large raccoon droppings in the basement crawl space, and they were able to take care of that without kicking up any dust into the house. Everyone I’ve encountered so far has been very pleasant– Kathy, Geovany, Rosendo, Mr. Hernandez. Exceptional work, very professional, punctual, thorough and reasonably priced. – Jennifer Y.
After discovering the most gnarly, neon orange, hard mold growing in a closet at our home, I contacted Building Cleaning Services after receiving a referral from our mold inspector. Given the nature of the situation and my complete inexperience with mold issues, I found the office manager Kathy to be extremely helpful and kind in explaining the process of removal. In addition, she and the rest of the team were quick to respond to phone calls or emails. Once we accepted their proposal, things continued to go extremely smoothly. Rosendo and his team were fantastic. I highly recommend Building cleaning services if you ever find yourself in need for mold remediation. – Alisha B.
Your Incentive to Keep an Eye Out for Mold: A $50 Amazon Card!
Since mold is all around us and only needs an ideal temperature, a source of food and moisture to start growing like mad; keep an eye out for it and get rid of that excess mold as soon as possible.
That is where BCS comes in, as we have specialized in mold remediation or removal since 1997.
As an incentive, we offer a $50 Amazon Gift Card to anyone who refers a new customer or client to us who has BCS perform their mold remediation.
If you know anyone who has mold, call Kathy at BCS (818) 953-7100 to set up an appointment. Once their mold is gone, and you referred them to us, we’ll send you your $50 Amazon card!
bcs@buildingcleaningservices.net (818) 953-7100